ATS2330 State sovereignty, human rights, and the responsibility to protect

Despite its recent inception, the doctrine of 'Responsibility to Protect' (RtP) is now a central part of international political efforts to prevent genocidal violence. RtP rejects a traditional view of absolute state sovereignty, and is instead based on the idea that states are only sovereign so long as they don't perpetrate or allow extreme human rights abuses. In this unit we begin by surveying the recent history of RtP as a guiding framework in international politics, and considering some of the challenges that have arisen around its implementation. We then investigate four sets of questions related to RtP, with both theoretical and practical aspects. First, is RtP a way for powerful nations to exert control over vulnerable nations? Second, are there reasons to doubt the effectiveness of RtP in achieving its aims? Third, what implications does the emergence of RtP have for how we understand the philosophical nature of human rights? Fourth, what are RtP's implications in relation to growing refugee crises in the 21st century?.